Clean-up ... Cockermouth high street after floodsGORDON Brown today pledged an extra £1million to help flood-hit communities in Cumbria after the heaviest rainfall since records began flooded houses, swept away bridges and claimed the life of a policeman.
The Prime Minister announced the funding on a visit to the area, where rescue workers were still making door-to-door searches.
Mr Brown praised the work of the emergency services and the community spirit of the people, which he said made him proud.
Visit ... PM shakes hand of grim-faced resident
Pc Bill Barker was directing motorists away from Northside Bridge at Workington when it collapsed and he disappeared into the swollen waters of the River Derwent at about 4.40am yesterday. His body was recovered later.
Cumbria County Council said inspectors visited the bridge last July for routine checks and found it to be structurally sound.
But all of Cumbria's 1,800 bridges are now undergoing inspections in the wake of the floods.
Inspectors closed two more bridges today - Station Road Bridge in Keswick, and Workington Bridge, including the footpath which runs underneath - meaning 13 have now been shut across the county.
During his two-hour visit to Cockermouth today, the Prime Minister toured the centre of the town and witnessed the devastation.
The town was strewn with debris from the floods, with cars coming to rest against trees from the force of the torrents, shop windows smashed and inches of sludge and silt covering the road.
Saved ... dog returned to grateful owner
Mr Brown pledged £1million in extra funding, matching the money already offered by the regional development agency, saying: "We will do everything we can to support the local community in its hour of need.
"I have met people in the centre I have just visited showing great community spirit.
"A community is a thousand acts of kindness and friendship for each other. It is making me very very proud of this community.
"The emergency services have worked brilliantly, right across the board."
Hero ... PC Bill Barker
Earlier Mr Brown met flooded-out residents taking shelter at the Shepherd's Hotel in Cockermouth.
Ann Burns, 76, who has spent two nights at the centre, said: "He tries, I'll give him that. We all need a bit of a lift. I'm going back to nowt.
"I was one of the first ones evacuated and taken here, I hardly know what day it is. I'm not bothered, I'm still breathing."
Doris Studholme, 88, said: "This is the second time I have been flooded out - in 2005 I was out for six months. This time it's hopeless. I don't know when I will get back home.
"I've lost everything again. Last time they had to carry me out, this time they came quickly and got us out before the flood.
"But I've got family and the people here could not do any more for us, they're fantastic."
Sylvia Mason, 51, said a prized possession, a campaign medal and testimonial presented to her son, Russell Watson, 24, from the Army after serving in Iraq, had been left at home. She said she feared it had probably washed away after flood waters deluged her house on Thursday night.
Devastation ... engineers survey damage caused by flooding
Mrs Mason said none of her other possessions mattered as much as the medal and asked the Prime Minister for help.
"He said he will try to get a replacement," she said.
"I'm very proud of my son, as he is proud of all the soldiers. I know it sounds daft. If I can get that it doesn't matter about anything else."
After visiting the shelter the Prime Minister went to the centre of the emergency services operations, set up at Cockermouth Fire Station.
The Fire Service, along with police, RAF, RNLI, NHS paramedics and mountain rescue personal are co-ordinating the search and clear-up operation from the station.
Mr Brown spoke to leaders of the organisations about the operation before visiting the centre of Cockermouth.
Tina Fearon, a firefighter stationed in the town, said they had taken 500 emergency calls since Thursday night and fire crews had been brought in from Barrow and Carlisle.
"We are now in the process of sweeping the town," she said, "Identifying areas to be checked and double-checked as some people chose to stay in their homes."
Special high volume pumping fire engines were also being brought in from Tyne and Wear and Merseyside, to pump the water out of basements and streets and into the river, once the levels fall.
Adrian Holme, group manager for the fire service in Cumbria at Penrith said the operation was still in its "Emergency" phase but they were hoping it would soon go to the "Recovery" stage and the clean-up.
Damage ... resident clears out destroyed home in Cockermouth
An army of council roadsweepers is ready to clean the sludge off the streets and a decontamination tent has been set up in the centre of the town to combat sewage which may have leaked into the water.
Firemen and building surveyors are also checking on structural damage to buildings and bridges to ensure they are safe.
Glyn Vaughan, an area manager for the Environment Agency in Cumbria, said staff would be checking flood defences in the county to ensure they had not been damaged.
More than 1,300 homes were affected by the flooding and more than 1,000 homes left without power.
Some 94 people were still sheltering in reception centres.
Paul Mott, a forecaster with MeteoGroup UK said there was persistent rain this afternoon, with about 20-25mm in some places.
He said Sunday would see another 25-30mm, adding: "It's not going to help the recovery. There will be more showers over the coming days. Some will be quite heavy and there will be more prolonged showers on Tuesday.
"But it's not going to be nearly as heavy as Thursday - it's just going to be a very slow recovery."
The "Biblical" downpour over Cumbria was the highest level of rainfall measured in England since records began, with 314mm - more than one foot of rain - falling in 24 hours.
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